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I've always been a firm believer in the 80/20 rule. That 80 percent of your productivity (or success, or income, or just about anything else), comes from 20 percent of your effort. The problem is, we live in a society of distraction. There's always something "more important" coming up, that disengages our focus, and completely kills productivity.

Zen Habits posted a really interesting article this week comparing productivity to haiku. The main point is that to succeed, you must limit yourself to the essential. This very restrictive form of poetry provides a very structured format, so instead of getting distracted by form, you can focus on the art and message of what you're writing.

With such a limited form, you cannot just use any amount of words you want to express a concept. You have to focus on one small but essential concept, and as a result you accomplish a lot with a few syllables. That's what Haiku Productivity is.

So lets haiku for success! Write a haiku that you'll put in your workspace. Focus on what you want to be, and where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years time. Your simple poem may be the difference between mediocrity and success. How great would it be to have a personal mission statement in haiku. Here's mine to give you the idea:

Taking a risk and
failing is just another
step towards winning

If you come up with something, post it here. I'd love to see how success becomes poetry (or vice versa).

Just a little nugget of inspiration for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and remember:

Thinking outside the box isn't nearly as productive as building a bigger one.

From the original post: Expand the Box.

I know this isn't the typical inspirational story. However, if a kitten can achieve this much, imagine how much we can achieve!

A man stormed into the animal shelter, cradling something wrapped in filthy rags. Tears were rolling down his face. He set the rags on the counter and unwrapped a filthy, emaciated kitten. The kitten gave a feeble "Mew" and then huddled back down into the rags. It was matted and greasy, and only a few weeks old. Maggots writhed in a wound on it's paw.

The man explained that he had found the kitten with it's leg caught in the chain on his tow truck. He wasn't sure how long it had been there, but he knew he couldn't let it die.

We examined the kitten. Her ears were scabbed up and shredded. Her tail was broken. She wouldn't put weight on a front leg. After X-rays, it was discovered that the kitten had fractured the leg in multiple spots. Our options were amputation or euthanasia. As we studied the X-rays, the kitten snuggled up to each of us and began purring. Her body was broken, but her spirit was not. We made the decision to amputate.

A vet donated his time and services and performed the amputation surgery. Vet techs volunteered right alongside him to monitor the kitten during and after the surgery. It was a textbook surgery, with a textbook recovery. Moxie, as we named her, bounced back immediately. She began causing all sorts of trouble and getting into everything, just as a healthy kitten should. Despite her adorable antics, she couldn't find her forever home. She sat at the shelter for a few weeks. No one seemed to want the little crippled kitten. Time after time, she'd be played with and passed over in favor of a healthy, able-bodied kitten.

One day, a couple walked in. They saw Moxie and fell in love. You see, they had adopted an abused pit bull some time back and had taken great joy in caring for their dog. They had even had the dog certified as a therapy dog and visited area hospitals on a weekly basis. They took Moxie home that day and helped her to figure out how to navigate a house. They were smitten with her immediately, snuggling her at night, playing during the day. As Moxie matured, she began to show a sweet, calm side. Her family realized she'd be perfect for visiting hospital patients alongside their dog.

Little Moxie has come so far. She was a tiny, cold kitten, covered in maggots, with multiple breaks in her leg. Many people would have said she didn't stand a chance. Today, she brings joy to hundreds of people, showing them that even when most would say there's no hope, you can get by with just a little moxie!

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. Here's something to inspire you, now that you're back to the daily grind. We received this story from Elinor Skeate. Thanks so much to every one who has sent in their story of inspiration. If you have one to tell, send it in here.

June 9th, 2007 was a happy day for me. My husband and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. It was especially welcome because I nearly missed this date. Last December I entered the hospital with an infection in my lower abdomen. This soon began a week of my life which I cannot remember. I fell into a coma, had a slight stroke, had a raging infection which caused my body to go into toxic shock. It was pretty grave, and my son and daughter arrived from California and Idaho. After several days the fever raged and the infection entered my blood stream, causing Cellulitis. Soon my organs began to fail and my husband was asked to bring the statement I had signed which said no extreme measures would be made. I had a severe infection of MERSA, Methicillin resistant Staphylcoccus Aureus, resistant to the usual treatments for bacteria. It is called a "super bug" infection.

Fortunately, the doctors decided to operate, and also gave me a very toxic antibotic, called Vancomycin, the last thing drug which was used as a last resort. The next day things turned around. Although I needed 28 days on Antibiotics, up to 5 times a day, and spent that time in a nursing home, followed by another month of care at home, I recovered without the awful side effects which Vancomycin sometimes causes, such as kidney failure, necrtising pneumonia, which destroys the lung cells, and a host of other problems, none of them good.

Now every moment I have is a special one. None of us knows when our life will be over and every day is a new slate to be written before God calls. I believe I was saved by the prayers of my small group at church and by members of our Baptist church who spent many hours with me and prayed for me so diligently. Never again will I take a day for granted, but strive to do whatever God wants me to do with the time I have left.

This is the first in our series of reader stories. If anyone else has a story to tell, please send it to us. This story comes from a reader named Pamela. It just goes to show you that enthusiasm and motivation are all you need to accomplish your dreams. Thanks for the story, Pamela. We're rooting for you!

Hi my name is Pamela and I am 16 years old. I danced for 13 years. When I was 12 I started training to be a professional ballerina. I trained everyday but Sunday for 8 hours. A year and a half later, I did a jump and when I landed I snapped the main ligament in my right ankle. I had to have immediate surgery or I would never be able to dance again. I didn't have the surgery because doctors refused to do it because I was so young. The doctors told me I would never be able to dance again and that I would never be able to walk up stairs without any pain.
Two weeks later I was on the stage dancing in competitions, despite the pain. Two months later we had our major competition. The problem was that it went for 12 hours and I would have to constantly go up and down stairs. I made it thru the competition. I didn't think about the pain but I was in absolute agony. I made it through.
At the end of the year I gave up dancing and started elite rhythmic gymnastics. It is my passion and I am going to dedicate my life to it. The doctors told me I would never be able to dance again, let alone do gymnastics! My coaches are shocked that I could pick up such a difficult sport at 16 years old but I know I can do it. I am working to be the 2011 rhythmic gymnastics world champion and to place in the 2012 olympics. I have been doing the sport for 18 months and I can already do things that takes the girls years to learn.
My message to people is to beleive in yourself because anything is possible. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Look at me now I can do gym and I can even walk up and down stairs without any pain! And remember:
"A champion is not a special person, but a person that does special things."